Monday, January 27, 2014

Tuesday Tales - Mirror

Welcome
to Tuesday Tales! This week I`ll be sharing excerpts from my 2013 NaNoWriMo
novel, Laco Law – The Gnarled Oak. Laco Law is an M/M historical western romance, set in the fictional
county of Laco, Texas in 1867.

This
week our word prompt is 'Mirror’. In this excerpt Clay and Zeke ride out to see
what they can find out about the Double Sun ranch.

A
note for my readers: This is a gay
romantica novel, and so the romance that occurs is man on man. If this is not
your cup of tea, no one will think less of you if you read no further.

As
this is my NaNo work, it is quite rough. I do ask that you
overlook any glaring mistakes you may find. Please do check out the other
wonderful writers after you`re done reading by clicking on the Tuesday Tales
link at the bottom. Thanks for stopping in!

We rode up to the front of the grand
home. The front door opened. A small Chinaman scurried out, his almond-shaped
eyes as wide as they could grow. He was dressed in white pants with a matching
white shirt. His black hair was pulled back severely from his face. His long
plait hung over his left shoulder.

“Morning, is your mistress to home?”
I called, still seated on my horse. The reception we would receive could be
questionable after all. “Mister Barnabas Wright gave us permission to come
calling on Mrs. Price. We`re the law from Laco,” I said while tapping my silver
star for emphasis.

His eyes seemed riveted to Zeke I
noted. When I cleared my throat the thin man nodded several times, backing up
the wide wooden steps as he bowed over and over while I dismounted with a small
groan of pleasure.

I started to argue with the servant.
Zeke slid from his horse. “It`s fine. I don`t want to go inside anyway.” He
took Hessie`s reins. I stared at his stiff back as he headed to the watering
trough, Dog at his side. A tug on my elbow pulled me from my deputy. I removed my
hat as I climbed to the front door. Rattan furniture was placed on the porch to
encourage restive conversations.

My boots sounded heavy on the
dustless entryway. The door was closed quietly behind me. The tiny fellow with
the amiable smile rushed into a room to my left. I followed, ducking slightly
to avoid hitting my forehead on the door-frame. I noticed the woman in the
wheelchair first off. The room, although it was filled with delicate furniture,
vases, frilly lace curtains, gilded mirrors,
and flowers paled in comparison to the blonde woman smiling engagingly up at
me.

She was nearly swallowed by the huge front wheels of her mobile chair. Her
eyes were intelligent pools of bright blue. Her skin was flawless. She wore her
hair swept up softly. Her day gown was the same blue as her eyes. Over her lap
was a thin blanket. Her feet were turned in terribly as they rested on a metal
footrest. This was a woman born into money I sensed right off.

“Ma`am,” I said with a polite nod.

“Please, Sheriff, won`t you sit and
have some lemonade with me? Charlie, fetch us a fresh pitcher of lemonade, and
a tray of those vanilla cookies Sophia whipped up last night.”

“Yes, Missus Price,” Charlie grinned
before bowing out of the room. I eased myself onto a tiny couch that had legs
that I feared would buckle within minutes. Mrs. Price beamed at me. My ears
grew hot.

“I had heard that Laco acquired a
new sheriff. No one told me he was so handsome,” she said, tipping her head to
the side. I stammered awkwardly under her perusal. She laughed at my unease.
“Well, aren`t you a delightful man?! Handsome and humble! I wish I had a daughter to foist upon you, Sheriff!”

“I`m not exactly the marrying type,
Ma`am,” I confessed. She pooh-poohed that away.

“Every man is the marrying kind,
Sheriff. He just has to be offered the proper dowry.” It was said lightly but
the words dropped around us like cold iron ingots.

“Not meaning to argue, Ma`am, but not
every man can be led to marriage with only the promise of a large dowry,” I
murmured just as Charlie entered with a rolling cart laden with silver trays,
crystal pitcher, and two tall glasses. Mrs. Price watched her butler with the
eye of a predatory bird. “I hope you don`t think me presumptuous, Ma`am, but
have you noticed anything untoward occurring within the boundaries of your
land?”

“Untoward? I`m not sure I quite
understand what you mean, Sheriff. Charlie, please
pay attention! You`re spilling sugar all over the floor,” Mrs. Price scolded. I
met the brown eyes of the servant. His face showed his shame, but his eyes were
trying to convey something else. Whatever it was, it fled when he had to go
fetch a broom to clean up the spilled sugar from the shiny tile floor. “I hope
it`s not too sweet?”

I raised the sweaty glass to my
lips. The lemonade was tart but perfectly made. I rested the glass on my knee.
My pants were filthy. I surely did not belong in this sitting room.

“No, Ma`am, it is just perfect.” I
said. She smiled in acknowledgement of her skilled staff.

“So, you seem to think my land is
being used for nefarious purposes,” she said after nibbling the edge off a pale
white cookie. “My husband would be the one to consult about such things. Since
my riding accident, I`m afraid I`m relegated to house matters.”

“Well , Ma`am, my Paw-Paw always said
that while a man thinks he runs the
show, it`s the woman who truly does. I suspect you are more than aware of what
happens on your land,” I commented. Our eyes met. She grinned widely. What a
beautiful, sharp woman she was. I could see myself falling for such a woman if
I were not the kind of man I am. Even with her being ten or more years my
senior.

“I must say your accent is beyond
charming.” Mrs. Price asked if I would wheel her to the window. I placed my
glass to the cart, got to my dusty boots, then rolled her to the nearest
window. A delicate hand with fine blue veins across the back pushed aside a
curtain as sheer as a morning mist. “I see that the rumors about your deputy
are also true. Tell me, Sheriff Moore, whatever possessed you to choose such a
person as your right-hand man?”

I looked through the pane of glass.
Zeke was lounging in the shade of a huge oak beside one of many horse barns.
Dog sat beside his master. Our horses were sleepily standing ass to face, using
their tails to chase away the flies on the other`s long faces.

“He saved my life. I figure that
gives a man the right to be judged on his own merits.”

She looked over her shoulder at me.
“Hmm, you`re a rare breed of man, Sheriff,” she murmured as if deep in thought.
“Most men would shoot such a man on sight. You make him your deputy. Perhaps
the genteel ladies of Georgia raise a more sophisticated manner of man than the
women of Texas do?”

“Perhaps, Ma`am.” She nodded, fully
aware that I knew she was searching for information.

“Yes, I should think you do know
about genteel ladies,” she said, her sight remaining on my deputy so long I
began feel some unease settling upon me. When she was done, she let the lacy
curtain drop back into place. “I wish I could assist you, as I find you quite
pleasant to chat with, but I honestly do not know of anything out of the
ordinary taking place on the Double Sun.”

“I thank you for your time, and the
refreshments, Mrs. Price,” I said. She inclined her golden head then produced a
small bell from underneath the rose-toned blanket on her lap. She rang it
gently.

11 comments:

What a fabulous scene! And I do NOT believe her or one minute. I love that he's not fooled by her, either. A sly woman and an intelligent man playing a bit of cat and mouse. Love this story. How is he going to get to the bottom of what's going on? I guess I'll have to keep coming back every week to find out.

I'm with Jean on this one! Fabulous scene with the to-and-fro between them...each trying to outsmart the other. She is clearly far more than her injury...and I'm certain he's right...she's knows more than she's letting on.

I even wonder whether the woman is controlling whatever is going on, and how she's going to try and embroil the deputy sheriff into her coils.An intriguing scene that captivates the essence of the time beautifully.